AZERBAIJAN
TRAVEL GUIDE
Information
Read
Baku [1]
Azerbaijani [1]
86, 000km2 [1]
10,151,482 (2020) [2]
Manat (AZN) [3]
5,145 US [3]
Annual Average Income
0.754 (87/195) [4]
Based on ‘The Human Development Index’, which analyses the country’s life expectancy, education, and per capita income
2, 633, 000 (81/195) [5]
Annual Average Tourism
38/50
Based on my opinion of the 50 European Countries
Facts
Read
Azerbaijan was the first nation to host the European Games in 2015, an Olympic format for Europe. [6]
Baku invested in a sparking new 68,000 capacity stadium for the event. [6]
The sporting competition was designed as a ‘coming out party’, to show the world Baku as a new major metropolis city, and how its Soviet’s past has been dusted off. [6]
(European Games) [7]
[expand title=””]
This was especially shown through its Spectacular opening ceremony. [6]
The games were very successful for Azerbaijan, as they finished second place overall. [6]
[/expand]
The Caucasus is a region that is situated between the Black and Caspian Sea. [6]
The 3 main countries that are located in this region are Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. [6]
The region also has 3 ‘de Facto Independent States’; Abkhazia (Georgia), South Ossetia (Georgia), and Artsakh (Azerbaijan). [6]
[expand title=””]
The religion of the region comprises of Orthodox (Georgia & Armenia) and Islam (Azerbaijan). [6]
The economy of the region is supported by Russia. [6]
The Caucasus region is home to many ethnic groups and languages. [6]
The Arabs called it the ‘Mountain of Languages’. [6]
It is believed, that over 40 perplexing tongues are spoken between the Black and Caspian Sea. [6]
These languages have been kept alive by the rugged terrain, which divides every valley from its neighbouring tribe. [6]
The 3 main languages are Georgian, Armenian, and Azeri. [6]
Russian is also widely spoken, as the 3 nations were part of the Soviet Union. [6]
The landscape of the region has 3 distinctive regions; the Great Caucasus, the Plains, and the Lesser Caucasus. [6]
This mountain range is longer and higher than the Famous Alps in Central Europe. [6]
8% of the region comprise of National parks, Nature Reserves and other Protected Areas. [6]
The ‘Great Caucasus’ divides Russia from Azerbaijan and Georgia. [6]
Some claim that it also separates Europe from Asia, however the nations on the south would dispute this notion. [6]
The length of the mountain range stretches 700km, with several 5000m peaks. [6]
The highest peak is Mount Elbrus at 5,642m; which is also the highest peak in Russia. [6]
There are only 3 motor roads that cross between the range. [6]
The ‘Plains’ are lower hills that give way to large area of flat land. [6]
This region comprises of central Georgia and Azerbaijan. [6]
The ‘Lesser Caucasus’ is a smaller mountain range in length and height, which covers south west Georgia, Armenia, and the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. [6]
The range comprises of several 3000m peaks. [6]
[/expand]
The capital city of Azerbaijan (Baku) is the lowest elevated capital in the world (28m below sea level). [6]
The village of Khinaliq, is the highest elevated village in Europe (2335m above sea level). [6]
The village has their own unique dialect called ‘Ketsh’. [6]
Heydar Aliyev was the national leader of Azerbaijan from 1993 (2 years after its independence) till his death in 2003. [6]
He was immensely popular, and is still referred to as Azerbaijan’s national leader. [6]
His photos appear everywhere in the country, and each town has a cultural centre and a park named in his honour, even the international airport is named after him. [6]
(Heydar Aliyev) [8]
[expand title=””]
During his reign he was able to stabilise the country from the Soviet Collapse, and kick start international investors in the oil industry. [6]
His son ‘Ilham’, has been governing the country ever since his father’s death. [6]
[/expand]
Bread is considered holy in Azerbaijan. [6]
You’ll notice if you look behind apartment blocks, that there are bags of discarded bread hanging on trees or hooks, which is separated from the typical trash. [6]
It’s because bread cannot be binned, or placed on the ground. [6]
If you happen to drop a piece of bread on the ground, it’s good etiquette to kiss it as a form of an apology. [6]
Azerbaijan is known as the ‘Land of Fire’, due to the ‘burning hillsides’ phenomena. [6]
This is caused by gas leaking through cracks in the earth. [6]
The most popular site to see this phenomena is ‘Yanar Dag’, which means ‘burning mountainside’. [6]
The country also has Mud Volcanoes. [6]
In fact, 40% of the world’s mud volcanoes arise in Azerbaijan. [6]
Azerbaijan has a particular musical genre call ‘Mugam’, which is recognised by UNESCO for its cultural heritage. [6]
The style is intensely emotional, which feels like a primal release of the spirit. [6]
However to Westerners, it may sound like pained weeping. [6]
The most popular singer of Mugam is Alim Qazimov. [4]
(Mugam) [9]
Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian community in Azerbaijan. [6]
The word ‘Nagorno’ means ‘Mountainous’ in Russian. [6]
The word ‘Kara’ means ‘Black’ in Turkish. [6]
The word ‘Bakh’ means ‘Garden’ in Persian. [6]
[expand title=””]
Therefore, it can be considered as the ‘Mountainous Black Garden’. [6]
The people of the region call themselves ‘Karabakhtis’. [6]
The region is actually a ‘self-declared republic’ called the ‘Republic of Artsakh’. [6]
However, the republic is recognised by no nation in the world. [6]
The ‘republic’ covers 16% of Azerbaijan territory, which is occupied by Armenian military. [6]
The uprising of this republic all started by the Soviet Union. [6]
When the Caucasus nations split into separate Soviet Republics in 1936, from its Soviet Transcaucasian Republic in 1922, Stalin decided to separate the Karabakh region from Armenia, and make it an Autonomous region within Azerbaijan. [6]
He also separated Naxcivan from Azerbaijan, as a separate landlocked territory of Azerbaijan, which still remains to this day. [6]
Azeri citizens were moved to the Armenian villages in Karabakh, to outpace the growth of Armenians in the region. [6]
By the 1980s, the Armenia population went from close to 100% to 75%. [6]
Between 1987 and 1988, there were demands by the people in Karabakh to join the Armenia Soviet Republic. [6]
In December 1989, there was an assembly by the people whom voted independence from Azerbaijan, however the Azerbaijan Republic disagreed and began a massacre of Armenians in the town of Sumqayit (in Azerbaijan). [6]
This event spark the beginning of a war, which lasted from 1990 to 1994. [6]
30,000 people died, and there was a mass exile of over 500,000 Azeri that fled the region and the surrounding area. [6]
In the beginning stages of the war, the Karabakhtis fought against the Azeri and Soviet forces. [6]
After the Soviet Union collapse in 1991, the Armenians joined the Karabakhtis to fight against the Azeri and Turks. [6]
On the 12th of May 1994, a ceasefire was declared by Armenia and Azerbaijan. [6]
Although there is no actual war, there’s still a lot of tension between the two nations. [6]
So why is Nagorno-Karabakh so special between the two countries you may ask?
Azeri claim the area as their ‘cultural heartland’. [6]
The town of Shushi (in Karabakh), is where the growth of their literature and language occurred. [6]
They believe the Christian inhabitance of Karabakh was not the ‘Christian Armenians’, yet the ‘Christian Albanians’ (not to be confused with Albania) who also occupied most of Azerbaijan at the time. [6]
The Arabs invaded the Caucasus region in the 7th century, which converted most of the Albanians to Islam. [6]
In the middle ages, the territory was occupied by Persia, and then by Russia in 1805. [6]
Because Russia is a Christian nation, many Muslims left Karabakh for Iran, while the Armenians from Iran settled in Karabakh. [6]
From a local perspective of Karabakh, they believe that they’re culturally Armenian due to the 4000 churches, monasteries, and forts that support this claim. [6]
Negotiations between the two countries have repeatedly failed to reach a compromise. [6]
[/expand]
Nakhchivan is a landlocked Autonomous republic of Azerbaijan. [6]
The Republic comprises of ancient monuments and barren mountains. [6]
The capital of the region is ‘Nakhchivan City’, which is known for its neat streets and free museums. [6]
Two of the most significant monuments include the ‘Momina Khatun Tomb Tower’, and the ‘Tomb of Noah’ (the biblical character who built the ark during the great flood). [6]
(Noah’s Ark) [10]
[expand title=””]
The tomb tower is a 26m structure, which dates back from 1186. [6]
The tomb of Noah is a new monument that was built in 2013, however the tomb is marked in 7th Millennium BC. [6]
Getting to Nakhchivan is achieved by taking a direct flight or bus via Iran from Baku, or a bus from Istanbul. [6]
[/expand]
Azerbaijan is known for its oil. [6]
In the 20th century, it was producing at least half of the world’s oil (Petroleum). [6]
Oil extraction began in the 10th century, where the oil was dug around Baku. [6]
In the 1870s, petroleum became a utility, which transformed Baku into a Boom Town. [6]
[expand title=””]
Immerse wealth arose, as workers and entrepreneurs from all over the Russian Empire arrived. [6]
In less than 30 years, the population increase 1200%. [6]
However, most of the oil workers lived in dreadful conditions. [6]
In 1935, the extraction of oil began to move into the shallow coastal waters of the Caspian Sea. [6]
In 2005, the world’s 2nd longest oil pipeline, BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) was built, which directly pumped oil from the Caspian Sea to Turkey, which boosted the economy by 4 billion dollars. [6]
The oil money has dramatically improved the living standards of the nation, and produced dazzling 21st century architecture. [6]
(BTC Pipeline) [11]
[/expand]
History
Read
6th BC
From 6th century BC, Proto Azerbaijan was part of the Persian empire. [6]
While in the Persian Empire, Zoroastrianism was the predominant religion. [6]
(Zoroastrianism) [12]
4th Century
From the 4th century, a tribe known as ‘Caucasian Albania’ began to emerge on western proto Azerbaijan (no link to Albania). [6]
In 325AD, the Albanian state adopted Christianity (22 years after Armenia). [6]
During their settlement, they built many churches, and some of the ruins still remain today. [6]
7th Century
In the 7th century, the Arabs made their move to the Caucasus region after the death of Mohammed in 632. [6]
In 642, they occupied Azerbaijan. [6]
In 654, they occupied Georgia. [6]
In 661, they occupied Armenia. [6]
[expand title=””]
Islam in the region became the major religion. [6]
Thus, the Caucasian Christians began to retreat in the mountains. [6]
In the 9th century, Nomadic Turkic herders arrived in the region from Central Asia. [6]
It is believed that these people are the ancestors of modern Azerbaijan. [6]
[/expand]
12th – 14th Century
From the 12th century, proto Azerbaijan was divided by the Kingdom of Georgia, and the people of Azerbaijan. [6]
The ruler of Georgia at the time was Queen Tamar (r. 1184-1213) who controlled territory from western Azerbaijan to Eastern Turkey. [6]
(Queen Tamar) [13]
While the cities of Azerbaijan, which included Nakhchivan, Qabala, Barda, and Samaxi began to bloom. [6]
From the 13thcentury, invading empires and earthquakes brought destruction to Azerbaijan cities. [6]
[expand title=””]
The first empire invasion began in the 1230s by the Mongolians. [6]
The second empire were the ‘Timurid Empire’, which was known for the infamous conquer Tamerlane. [6]
[/expand]
15th – 18th Century
After 2 centuries, the territory of Shirvan had been revived by Shirvanshah Khalilullah I (r.1417-65). [6]
The state of Shirvan, a ‘Sunny’ Muslim entity, was a territory that comprised of Modern Baku and its surrounding area. [6]
During his reign, Baku was becoming a prospering trade route. [6]
In 1462, the Shirvanshahs dynasty were victorious against ‘Ardabil’, a southern Azerbaijan state which is now in Iran. [6]
[expand title=””]
However in 1501, the Shirvanshahs were defeated in a rematch, this time led by Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty. [6]
His dynasty looted Baku, and forcibly converted the people to ‘Shia’ Islam. [6]
Eventually Shirvan and South Azerbaijan became together as part of the whole Persian Empire, which was ruled by Shah Ismail I. [6]
In 1722, the Safavid dynasty collapsed, and a New Persian conqueror Nader Shah took over. [6]
(Shah Ismail I) [14]
[/expand]
1723 – 1918
Russia became to take an interest in the Caucasus when Peter the Great began to seek the region in the beginning of the 18th century. [6]
In 1723, He captured Baku. [6]
At the time, Baku had a population of less than 10,000. [6]
(Peter the Great) [15]
[expand title=””]
During that time, Muslim Khanates began to emerge across proto Azerbaijan from Persia, in the hopes of independence. [6]
Thus several Khanates united, and asked Russia for assistance to prevent the Persians from conquering them. [6]
In response, the Russian empire annexed those Khanates. [6]
Persia retaliated, yet it led to further annexation. [6]
The Russians began to encourage the immigration of Christians within the area. [6]
[/expand]
1918 – 1922
Following the Russian Revolution in November 1917, the Caucasus nations collectively became an independent federation from the Russian Empire. [6]
This federation was shortly lived due to national and religious differences. [6]
The region then split into 3 nations: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. [6]
Azerbaijan declared itself as the first ‘democratic’ Muslim country in the world. [6]
1922 – 1936
Between 1920 and 1921, the Soviets came to claim the Caucasus nations. [6]
On the 29th of November 1922, the Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia was part of the Transcaucasian Republic of the Soviet Union. [6]
1936 – 1991
In 1936, the Transcaucasian Republic was separated into 3 separate soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. [6]
When the Soviets designated the borders of the republic, they decided to separate the Karabakh region from Armenia, and make it an Autonomous region within Azerbaijan. [6]
They also separated Naxcivan from Azerbaijan, as a separate landlocked territory of Azerbaijan, which still remains to this day. [6]
From 1936 to 1938 Stalin conducted a series of Purges within the Soviet Union. [6]
In that time, over 100,000 Azeri were killed or sent to concentration camps, in which most never return. [6]
[expand title=””]
During World War II, Hitler had aimed to conquer Baku for its oil supply. [6]
However, the Nazis never made it to Baku as they were halted when they tried to conquer Volgograd (Russia). [6]
After Stalin’s death in 1953, corruption became to worsen and the economy began to stagnant. [6]
Mikhail Gorbachev’s presidential run for the Soviet Union became its death, when he tried to reconstruct it. [6]
On the 20th of January 1990 (known as Black January), the Soviets handed a deadly intervention for the civilians of Baku, who were promoting independence. [6]
Over 100 people were killed, and hundreds were injured. [6]
[/expand]
1991+
On the 30th of August 1991, Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union. [6]
That year in December, 15 different nations split from the Soviet Union. [6]
The Azerbaijan leader Heydar Aliyev who ruled the country from 1993 to 2003, became a cult hero of the nation. [6]
In his rule, he was able to improve the living standards, the economy, and virtually eliminated poverty from the country. [6]
GUIDE
INFORMATION
Baku [1]
Azerbaijani [1]
86, 000km2 [1]
10,151,482 (2020) [2]
Manat (AZN) [3]
5,145 US [3]
Annual Average Income
0.754 (87/195) [4]
Based on ‘The Human Development Index’, which analyses the country’s life expectancy, education, and per capita income
2, 633, 000 (81/195) [5]
Annual Average Tourism
38/50
Based on my opinion of the 50 European Countries
FACTS
Azerbaijan was the first nation to host the European Games in 2015, an Olympic format for Europe. [6]
Baku invested in a sparking new 68,000 capacity stadium for the event. [6]
The sporting competition was designed as a ‘coming out party’, to show the world Baku as a new major metropolis city, and how its Soviet’s past has been dusted off. [6]
(European Games) [7]
[expand title=””]
This was especially shown through its Spectacular opening ceremony. [6]
The games were very successful for Azerbaijan, as they finished second place overall. [6]
[/expand]
The Caucasus is a region that is situated between the Black and Caspian Sea. [6]
The 3 main countries that are located in this region are Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. [6]
The region also has 3 ‘de Facto Independent States’; Abkhazia (Georgia), South Ossetia (Georgia), and Artsakh (Azerbaijan). [6]
[expand title=””]
The religion of the region comprises of Orthodox (Georgia & Armenia) and Islam (Azerbaijan). [6]
The economy of the region is supported by Russia. [6]
The Caucasus region is home to many ethnic groups and languages. [6]
The Arabs called it the ‘Mountain of Languages’. [6]
It is believed, that over 40 perplexing tongues are spoken between the Black and Caspian Sea. [6]
These languages have been kept alive by the rugged terrain, which divides every valley from its neighbouring tribe. [6]
The 3 main languages are Georgian, Armenian, and Azeri. [6]
Russian is also widely spoken, as the 3 nations were part of the Soviet Union. [6]
The landscape of the region has 3 distinctive regions; the Great Caucasus, the Plains, and the Lesser Caucasus. [6]
This mountain range is longer and higher than the Famous Alps in Central Europe. [6]
8% of the region comprise of National parks, Nature Reserves and other Protected Areas. [6]
The ‘Great Caucasus’ divides Russia from Azerbaijan and Georgia. [6]
Some claim that it also separates Europe from Asia, however the nations on the south would dispute this notion. [6]
The length of the mountain range stretches 700km, with several 5000m peaks. [6]
The highest peak is Mount Elbrus at 5,642m; which is also the highest peak in Russia. [6]
There are only 3 motor roads that cross between the range. [6]
The ‘Plains’ are lower hills that give way to large area of flat land. [6]
This region comprises of central Georgia and Azerbaijan. [6]
The ‘Lesser Caucasus’ is a smaller mountain range in length and height, which covers south west Georgia, Armenia, and the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. [6]
The range comprises of several 3000m peaks. [6]
[/expand]
The capital city of Azerbaijan (Baku) is the lowest elevated capital in the world (28m below sea level). [6]
The village of Khinaliq, is the highest elevated village in Europe (2335m above sea level). [6]
The village has their own unique dialect called ‘Ketsh’. [6]
Heydar Aliyev was the national leader of Azerbaijan from 1993 (2 years after its independence) till his death in 2003. [6]
He was immensely popular, and is still referred to as Azerbaijan’s national leader. [6]
His photos appear everywhere in the country, and each town has a cultural centre and a park named in his honour, even the international airport is named after him. [6]
(Heydar Aliyev) [8]
[expand title=””]
During his reign he was able to stabilise the country from the Soviet Collapse, and kick start international investors in the oil industry. [6]
His son ‘Ilham’, has been governing the country ever since his father’s death. [6]
[/expand]
Bread is considered holy in Azerbaijan. [6]
You’ll notice if you look behind apartment blocks, that there are bags of discarded bread hanging on trees or hooks, which is separated from the typical trash. [6]
It’s because bread cannot be binned, or placed on the ground. [6]
If you happen to drop a piece of bread on the ground, it’s good etiquette to kiss it as a form of an apology. [6]
Azerbaijan is known as the ‘Land of Fire’, due to the ‘burning hillsides’ phenomena. [6]
This is caused by gas leaking through cracks in the earth. [6]
The most popular site to see this phenomena is ‘Yanar Dag’, which means ‘burning mountainside’. [6]
The country also has Mud Volcanoes. [6]
In fact, 40% of the world’s mud volcanoes arise in Azerbaijan. [6]
Azerbaijan has a particular musical genre call ‘Mugam’, which is recognised by UNESCO for its cultural heritage. [6]
The style is intensely emotional, which feels like a primal release of the spirit. [6]
However to Westerners, it may sound like pained weeping. [6]
The most popular singer of Mugam is Alim Qazimov. [4]
(Mugam) [9]
Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian community in Azerbaijan. [6]
The word ‘Nagorno’ means ‘Mountainous’ in Russian. [6]
The word ‘Kara’ means ‘Black’ in Turkish. [6]
The word ‘Bakh’ means ‘Garden’ in Persian. [6]
[expand title=””]
Therefore, it can be considered as the ‘Mountainous Black Garden’. [6]
The people of the region call themselves ‘Karabakhtis’. [6]
The region is actually a ‘self-declared republic’ called the ‘Republic of Artsakh’. [6]
However, the republic is recognised by no nation in the world. [6]
The ‘republic’ covers 16% of Azerbaijan territory, which is occupied by Armenian military. [6]
The uprising of this republic all started by the Soviet Union. [6]
When the Caucasus nations split into separate Soviet Republics in 1936, from its Soviet Transcaucasian Republic in 1922, Stalin decided to separate the Karabakh region from Armenia, and make it an Autonomous region within Azerbaijan. [6]
He also separated Naxcivan from Azerbaijan, as a separate landlocked territory of Azerbaijan, which still remains to this day. [6]
Azeri citizens were moved to the Armenian villages in Karabakh, to outpace the growth of Armenians in the region. [6]
By the 1980s, the Armenia population went from close to 100% to 75%. [6]
Between 1987 and 1988, there were demands by the people in Karabakh to join the Armenia Soviet Republic. [6]
In December 1989, there was an assembly by the people whom voted independence from Azerbaijan, however the Azerbaijan Republic disagreed and began a massacre of Armenians in the town of Sumqayit (in Azerbaijan). [6]
This event spark the beginning of a war, which lasted from 1990 to 1994. [6]
30,000 people died, and there was a mass exile of over 500,000 Azeri that fled the region and the surrounding area. [6]
In the beginning stages of the war, the Karabakhtis fought against the Azeri and Soviet forces. [6]
After the Soviet Union collapse in 1991, the Armenians joined the Karabakhtis to fight against the Azeri and Turks. [6]
On the 12th of May 1994, a ceasefire was declared by Armenia and Azerbaijan. [6]
Although there is no actual war, there’s still a lot of tension between the two nations. [6]
So why is Nagorno-Karabakh so special between the two countries you may ask?
Azeri claim the area as their ‘cultural heartland’. [6]
The town of Shushi (in Karabakh), is where the growth of their literature and language occurred. [6]
They believe the Christian inhabitance of Karabakh was not the ‘Christian Armenians’, yet the ‘Christian Albanians’ (not to be confused with Albania) who also occupied most of Azerbaijan at the time. [6]
The Arabs invaded the Caucasus region in the 7th century, which converted most of the Albanians to Islam. [6]
In the middle ages, the territory was occupied by Persia, and then by Russia in 1805. [6]
Because Russia is a Christian nation, many Muslims left Karabakh for Iran, while the Armenians from Iran settled in Karabakh. [6]
From a local perspective of Karabakh, they believe that they’re culturally Armenian due to the 4000 churches, monasteries, and forts that support this claim. [6]
Negotiations between the two countries have repeatedly failed to reach a compromise. [6]
[/expand]
Nakhchivan is a landlocked Autonomous republic of Azerbaijan. [6]
The Republic comprises of ancient monuments and barren mountains. [6]
The capital of the region is ‘Nakhchivan City’, which is known for its neat streets and free museums. [6]
Two of the most significant monuments include the ‘Momina Khatun Tomb Tower’, and the ‘Tomb of Noah’ (the biblical character who built the ark during the great flood). [6]
(Noah’s Ark) [10]
[expand title=””]
The tomb tower is a 26m structure, which dates back from 1186. [6]
The tomb of Noah is a new monument that was built in 2013, however the tomb is marked in 7th Millennium BC. [6]
Getting to Nakhchivan is achieved by taking a direct flight or bus via Iran from Baku, or a bus from Istanbul. [6]
[/expand]
Azerbaijan is known for its oil. [6]
In the 20th century, it was producing at least half of the world’s oil (Petroleum). [6]
Oil extraction began in the 10th century, where the oil was dug around Baku. [6]
In the 1870s, petroleum became a utility, which transformed Baku into a Boom Town. [6]
[expand title=””]
Immerse wealth arose, as workers and entrepreneurs from all over the Russian Empire arrived. [6]
In less than 30 years, the population increase 1200%. [6]
However, most of the oil workers lived in dreadful conditions. [6]
In 1935, the extraction of oil began to move into the shallow coastal waters of the Caspian Sea. [6]
In 2005, the world’s 2nd longest oil pipeline, BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) was built, which directly pumped oil from the Caspian Sea to Turkey, which boosted the economy by 4 billion dollars. [6]
The oil money has dramatically improved the living standards of the nation, and produced dazzling 21st century architecture. [6]
(BTC Pipeline) [11]
[/expand]
HISTORY
6th BC
From 6th century BC, Proto Azerbaijan was part of the Persian empire. [6]
While in the Persian Empire, Zoroastrianism was the predominant religion. [6]
(Zoroastrianism) [12]
4th Century
From the 4th century, a tribe known as ‘Caucasian Albania’ began to emerge on western proto Azerbaijan (no link to Albania). [6]
In 325AD, the Albanian state adopted Christianity (22 years after Armenia). [6]
During their settlement, they built many churches, and some of the ruins still remain today. [6]
7th Century
In the 7th century, the Arabs made their move to the Caucasus region after the death of Mohammed in 632. [6]
In 642, they occupied Azerbaijan. [6]
In 654, they occupied Georgia. [6]
In 661, they occupied Armenia. [6]
[expand title=””]
Islam in the region became the major religion. [6]
Thus, the Caucasian Christians began to retreat in the mountains. [6]
In the 9th century, Nomadic Turkic herders arrived in the region from Central Asia. [6]
It is believed that these people are the ancestors of modern Azerbaijan. [6]
[/expand]
12th – 14th Century
From the 12th century, proto Azerbaijan was divided by the Kingdom of Georgia, and the people of Azerbaijan. [6]
The ruler of Georgia at the time was Queen Tamar (r. 1184-1213) who controlled territory from western Azerbaijan to Eastern Turkey. [6]
(Queen Tamar) [13]
While the cities of Azerbaijan, which included Nakhchivan, Qabala, Barda, and Samaxi began to bloom. [6]
From the 13thcentury, invading empires and earthquakes brought destruction to Azerbaijan cities. [6]
[expand title=””]
The first empire invasion began in the 1230s by the Mongolians. [6]
The second empire were the ‘Timurid Empire’, which was known for the infamous conquer Tamerlane. [6]
[/expand]
15th – 18th Century
After 2 centuries, the territory of Shirvan had been revived by Shirvanshah Khalilullah I (r.1417-65). [6]
The state of Shirvan, a ‘Sunny’ Muslim entity, was a territory that comprised of Modern Baku and its surrounding area. [6]
During his reign, Baku was becoming a prospering trade route. [6]
In 1462, the Shirvanshahs dynasty were victorious against ‘Ardabil’, a southern Azerbaijan state which is now in Iran. [6]
[expand title=””]
However in 1501, the Shirvanshahs were defeated in a rematch, this time led by Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty. [6]
His dynasty looted Baku, and forcibly converted the people to ‘Shia’ Islam. [6]
Eventually Shirvan and South Azerbaijan became together as part of the whole Persian Empire, which was ruled by Shah Ismail I. [6]
In 1722, the Safavid dynasty collapsed, and a New Persian conqueror Nader Shah took over. [6]
(Shah Ismail I) [14]
[/expand]
1723 – 1918
Russia became to take an interest in the Caucasus when Peter the Great began to seek the region in the beginning of the 18th century. [6]
In 1723, He captured Baku. [6]
At the time, Baku had a population of less than 10,000. [6]
(Peter the Great) [15]
[expand title=””]
During that time, Muslim Khanates began to emerge across proto Azerbaijan from Persia, in the hopes of independence. [6]
Thus several Khanates united, and asked Russia for assistance to prevent the Persians from conquering them. [6]
In response, the Russian empire annexed those Khanates. [6]
Persia retaliated, yet it led to further annexation. [6]
The Russians began to encourage the immigration of Christians within the area. [6]
[/expand]
1918 – 1922
Following the Russian Revolution in November 1917, the Caucasus nations collectively became an independent federation from the Russian Empire. [6]
This federation was shortly lived due to national and religious differences. [6]
The region then split into 3 nations: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. [6]
Azerbaijan declared itself as the first ‘democratic’ Muslim country in the world. [6]
1922 – 1936
Between 1920 and 1921, the Soviets came to claim the Caucasus nations. [6]
On the 29th of November 1922, the Caucasus countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia was part of the Transcaucasian Republic of the Soviet Union. [6]
1936 – 1991
In 1936, the Transcaucasian Republic was separated into 3 separate soviet republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. [6]
When the Soviets designated the borders of the republic, they decided to separate the Karabakh region from Armenia, and make it an Autonomous region within Azerbaijan. [6]
They also separated Naxcivan from Azerbaijan, as a separate landlocked territory of Azerbaijan, which still remains to this day. [6]
From 1936 to 1938 Stalin conducted a series of Purges within the Soviet Union. [6]
In that time, over 100,000 Azeri were killed or sent to concentration camps, in which most never return. [6]
[expand title=””]
During World War II, Hitler had aimed to conquer Baku for its oil supply. [6]
However, the Nazis never made it to Baku as they were halted when they tried to conquer Volgograd (Russia). [6]
After Stalin’s death in 1953, corruption became to worsen and the economy began to stagnant. [6]
Mikhail Gorbachev’s presidential run for the Soviet Union became its death, when he tried to reconstruct it. [6]
On the 20th of January 1990 (known as Black January), the Soviets handed a deadly intervention for the civilians of Baku, who were promoting independence. [6]
Over 100 people were killed, and hundreds were injured. [6]
[/expand]
1991+
On the 30th of August 1991, Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union. [6]
That year in December, 15 different nations split from the Soviet Union. [6]
The Azerbaijan leader Heydar Aliyev who ruled the country from 1993 to 2003, became a cult hero of the nation. [6]
In his rule, he was able to improve the living standards, the economy, and virtually eliminated poverty from the country. [6]
Travel to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, the most eastern country of Europe, has been getting quite a bit of attention since 2012. In that year, it hosted Eurovision, and 3 years later it hosted the first European Games. During this time, many new buildings have been built in Baku, and continue to this day. The main region of Azerbaijan is Baku. Nakhchivan, the place where Noah supposedly settled after the flood, is part of Azerbaijan, although it’s separated by Armenia. The ‘Blue Zone’ of Azerbaijan, which is known as ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’, is an autonomous republic that is occupied by Armenia. In the Caspian Sea, 82km offshore from Baku, is a settlement called ‘Neft Daşları’, which is an oil platform. However, it’s also a functioning city with a population of 2000 people.
[expand title=””]
The capital is definitely on the rise. However besides the capital, it’s lacking secondary and third tier cities/ towns that are worth visiting. Furthermore to get to the country, you need to have a visa prior. With the visa, the ‘one destination’ (i.e. Baku), and the geographic location, this can be problematic for travelers, as they may choose other countries that have more to offer, have no visa, and is not too far from central Europe. Therefore, if you have the intentions of travelling Eastern Turkey and/ or the other Caucasus countries, or you’re already in that region, then I believe it’s worth visiting Azerbaijan.
If you want to go to Azerbaijan from Turkey or Georgia, then you can take public transport or a flight from Istanbul/ Ankara. In my experience, I took a bus from Ankara to Baku and it took over 2 days. I can assure you, it’s not something that I would do again. Thus, it’s more optimal to take a stop in Georgia before going to Baku. You can also take a train from Tbilisi (capital of Georgia) to Baku. If you’re in Armenia, then you’ll have to take a bus to Georgia before going to Azerbaijan, as the border is closed. Overall, Azerbaijan is a country that provides a unique experience, and that is something that you should consider when travelling Europe.
[/expand]